


Charlotte’s Story

by sapphicsquash



Category: Charlottes Story, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Medieval Fantasy, Other, almost everyone is a furry, cool skyrim inspired story, incomplete but i want to redo it in the future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28084917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicsquash/pseuds/sapphicsquash
Summary: (story i made in 2018 that i hope to remake and complete in the future)Charlotte got beat up, saved by the kingdom, met up w bane, some stuff happened, and the whole story kinda sucks and doesn’t make much sense but who cares! Cool skyrim inspired medieval fantasy shit with assassins and weird brain dragons!this specific version of the story is permanently put on hold because i’m gonna work on remaking it and *possibly* turn it into a comic, most likely not
Relationships: bane/james, charlotte/canin, no relationships right now but expect





	1. A New Friend

(sorry about the formatting, i’ll probably fix it soon)

A loud metallic sounding bang made Charlotte jolt awake. Her sight was fuzzy and her body felt limp and sore. She tried to push herself up and see what was going on, but she could hardly get her mind to think from a throbbing pain in her head. 

“She’s awake! Go get the Princess,” A muffled voice yelled out. It was deep and booming, like an Argonian, but even the power in the voice wasn’t loud enough for her to clearly hear. Charlotte blinked and tried to rub away the sleep in her eyes. “Missus! Why did you feel obliged to make such a sound?” The voice called out again.  
“Oh, I couldn’t stand having to watch them lie down all day,” A small whine stretched across the room. “So I clanked the pot on the floor to wake em up!” Once she’d finally gotten her eyes cleared, she looked over to where the squeaky little voice came from. She saw a small, blond haired and pale skinned Nord, around the age of adolescence. They had a smirk on their face and a soft green silk dress with cream accents. After seeing the girl she glanced around the fancy room they were in, looking at all the elaborate artwork and carpentry. A large window curtain blew in the calm wind.  
“Mira,” The deep voice grumbled. Ah, she thought as she directed her view to them. The voice is certainly Argonian. They had a reddish tint to their brown scales and curved, goat like horns. Their feathers were smoothed back on their head and there were 3 spikes just above both of their brows. “You know how you’re supposed to treat guests, right? Especially injured ones?”  
“Yes, Sir Bane. But I just couldn’t wait to chat with em!” The girl danced around, sitting the pot onto the dresser next to Charlotte, and stopped to look down at her.  
“How are you feeling, Ma’am?” The Argonian, Bane, kindly asked, a mix of a worriedness and gladness plastered on his face. “You were messed up pretty bad when they brought you in.”

She sat for a moment, lifting herself up a bit. Just noticing she only had underclothes on, she brought the blanket up with her. “A little fuzzy and sore, but nothing bad. Where am I?”  
“Ah, that’s right, you’re in the Castle.” Her eyes widened at his nonchalant response.   
“The castle…?” A flash of fear sparked in her eyes as her brow furrowed. Did they know who she was? The blood ran from her face and her heart stopped for a moment. Every muscle in her body tensed, ready to make a sprint.  
“Uh? Are you okay miss?” The Nord girl, Mira, seemed to prod at Charlotte with her eyes. Banes fist clenched, noticing the rush of adrenaline in Charlotte. His eyes said he didn’t know her, but she had a feeling he might know what she was.

“I’m sorry, but I must get going. I didn’t realise I’d gone so far off trail as to end up here!” She tried to play off she was actually just a merchant. “I need to get to Alonwin to deliver a horse to a client of my friends.” Bane seemed to know it was a lie, but Mira thought she was telling the truth. All of the sudden the door squeaked open and a white Khajiit silently padded in. They had dark black stripes, bright blue eyes and an elegant, flowing lilac dress. They fancied a small crown on top of their head.

“I’m late! I know! Father was bothering me about some trivial nonsense,” They strode to the bed like a leaf slowly swinging to the ground.   
“Your highness,” Mira and Bane said in unison, bowing politely to the beautiful guest. “It’s perfectly fine that you are late, Tiger of Snow.” Bane quietly stated to her.  
“I believe you are the traveler?” The Princess, Tiger of Snow, spoke facing Charlotte. Her voice sounded like the whisper of the wind in winter.   
“Yes, your highness.” She could hardly bare to spit out ‘your highness’, but they would be suspicious of her if she hadn’t said it politely or at all. “I am truly sorry for intruding in your glorious castle.” She bowed her head, scowling in her mind. If only she hadn’t had such hate towards the kingdom, she could come to like the princess.  
“It’s perfectly fine! Might I ask, what is your name?” The princess smiled bright, her eyes glowing with patience.  
“Charlotte, Ma’am.” A faux smile struggled to appear on Charlotte's face. Being kind to someone you have to hate is very difficult, she thought.  
“You have such a beautiful name!” Tiger of Snow had so easily complemented her that Charlotte just had to let one true smile by. “I hope we may become friends at one point, Charlotte.”   
Charlotte nodded.“I’d like that,” But in her mind, she knew they couldn’t. 

+…+

Though the air blowing through the wispy curtains felt good in her fur, she’d been in this fancy room for too long, and she had to leave before someone caught onto her. Maybe no one will, a little spark lit up in her mind. Charlotte stomped it out, ignoring the thought of staying there. I can’t stay, I have to help the revolution!   
“Ugh, I’m starting to sound like Bloodmouth!” She mumbled. He was absolutely obsessed with the thought of winning a great war between the empire and the rebels. Of course, A war would never happen. He had fantasies of fighting and then winning a free life, but he knew they weren’t true. The rebels couldn’t physically fight, and the empire had so many soldiers they could swipe each and every rebel off the earth in under an hour. She sighed, pushing the blanket off of her body. All she wore was a thin chemise and a tight pair of short, wool socks. There were bruises and cuts on her legs and arms, most of which weren’t in terrible condition. Everything ached and throbbed with pain.  
“Miss? Are you awake?” Someone called from the doorway. The scaly red and brown head of Bane popped through the door.   
“Yes, in fact I just woke up.” She smiled and pulled the blanket over her bruised legs up to her waist.   
“What happened? Do you remember?” He walked in and shut the door quietly, sitting down on the stool at the foot of the bed.  
“I haven’t thought about it,” She broke into a bit of a sweat. His eyes were sharp and menacing, searching for anything to give her away. He knows, she thought. Or at least, he will soon. There was no way she could tell him the truth. She had to make a story. “While I was headed to Alonwin with the horse I was going to sell, a group jumped me on the road. Before I could pull my sword, the horses were stolen and I was knocked out cold.” Bane practically stared into her soul then.  
“Well that’s a shame,” he growled. “Because you’re not an innocent trader going to sell a horse.” He lifted himself up and put his hand on his dagger. “Who are you really? A spy for Marihner? Valenhold?” Charlotte tensed. It was too late, she had to tell him the truth and hope for the best.  
“I’m a rogue, a warrior for the revolution. I go around and recruit people ready to fight the empire, so yes, i’m just about as bad as the fighters from Marihner. Lock me up if you want, I won’t care! I will always slip away from the grip of the empire so many people are tackled by!” So much for never telling him the truth. She clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut for just a moment. Charlotte knew she was too weak to be able to get away from a healthy and strong Argonian. They were quite fierce fighters, she knew. The Argonian was obviously surprised that she had told him all that so fast.  
“You let that out too easy, spy.” Banes eyes hardened, now searching her eyes much more thoroughly than before. “There is no way you could be a rebel!”  
“I swear on Stendarr's merciful heart!” Even though her patron was Kynareth, her life was centered on Stendarr's beliefs. The entire revolution was based upon protection, righteousness and justice, so most rogue patrons were Stendarr and Kynareth.   
“Alright,” His features softened. “So you truly are a rebel?”  
“Yes...” Charlotte shifted “Wait, are you a rebel?”  
“In a way,” He seemed hesitant to explain, but that wasn’t a surprise since it was obvious he didn’t trust her. “Charlotte is your name, right? Also, you’re lucky it was me you spat that out to and not a guard, else you’d be dead or in a cell.”  
Charlotte nodded and exhaled. Thankfully Bane wasn’t Imperial, and might be trustworthy, but she couldn’t trust him just yet.  
“Then you should head out of here quickly, get some new clothing and items.” He haughtily stood and held out his hand to the door. “Madam,” 

+…+

The building they entered was full with shiny objects and simple clothing, along with a few browsers and the shopkeeper. Bane approached someone, a friend by the way they exchanged smiles and laughs. Charlotte walked over to a weapons section to scan for a new sword and bow.  
“Hello there, and welcome to The Dragons Stash! How may I help you, miss?” A scruffy bearded man with dirty blond hair walked up. Judging by his square face shape and light skin, he was a middle-aged Nord.   
“I’m looking for the best one handed sword you have?” Charlotte said as she watched the man pointed to a large rack that had very simple looking swords.  
“I’m sorry, but most all of what we have isn’t in the best of shape, but there is another sword that got imported from Valenhold,” He walked over to a counter and crouched down. When he rose back up, he was holding a long, curved scimitar. There was a light red glow around the tip and rooting through the sword were elaborate markings. It had a shiny gold basket hilt, which were super rare on swords. The hilt had a beautiful nordic design but didn’t have a glow like the sword did. In the other hand he had a black and gold sheath with the design of a dragon. “This is the rarest and heaviest one handed sword, but there is quite a big issue with it. For some reason, it doesn’t deal any significant damage.” She walked up to him, grabbing the sword.  
“Can I try fighting with it?” Turning the sword in her hand and looked at the raging red flames encasing it as it flipped around.  
“Yes, but I doubt you’ll be satisfied.” The Shopkeeper huffed and walked to the back of the store. She was led through a door and into a fenced yard. “Do you have someone you can fight with?”  
Charlotte thought for a moment. “Yeah, let me go ask them!” Bane, she could see through a large window, was browsing a shelf full of enchantments. He turned to the window as she stuck her head through.  
“Uh, what are you doing?” Bane sat down something he had in his hand.   
“Can you come help me test out this sword?” When she sat the sword on the window sill he had a confused look on his face.   
“You want to test out a bland, old scimitar?”   
“What? Bland? This thing looks epic! Don’t you see the red flames on it?? And the shiny gold hilt?”   
“Are you ill? What flames? And the hilt is ugly and rusted, there’s not even a speck of gold on it!”  
“You seriously don’t see it?” She lifted the sword up, waving it around to show off the bright fire that licked her face without lashing a burn through her fur.  
“Wait, do you mean you see an enchantment…?” Bane took the sword and scanned it with his claw like he could pick up every detail with the tip of his finger.  
“I don’t see what you’re talking about either, ma’am?” The Shopkeeper came up to the window with Charlotte and Bane.  
“Wow, this is weird…” Charlotte played with her earrings. “Hold on, lemme just test it!” She took it from Banes hands and beckoned him to come outside before walking to the middle of the yard. He walked outside, holding a sword of his own. They took their stances and finally after just a few seconds, lashed their swords at each other. Charlotte ducked his greatsword and flung her sword out just as he jumped. Swords clashed for another couple of seconds before Charlotte landed a hit. The red flames raged and hissed when they hit his scales. A loud screeching sound stretched across the yard before a rumble started beneath their feet. Cracks surrounded them on both sides and before they could think to jump away they caved into one large hole. Rocks and debris spewed up into the air, following the swords growing flames. For just a second, their eyes met. What was about to happen? Further they fell into the pit…

+…+

A quite rumble woke up Charlotte. The air was filled with the smell of molten rock. Where am I? She tried to speak, but only a groan could slip out. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, like she was being cooked after someone had beaten her with a rock.   
Are you okay? A rough, low and grumbling voice seemed to call out from her… head? Maybe she was hallucinating? Your vessel seems to be aching. It rung through her brain again. Maybe you should heal it, if you have the strength to. Do you? I’m not sure, I haven’t seen you in a while! The voice rambled on.  
Who are you? Charlotte tried speaking to it through thinking. Why are you speaking to me in my head? Am I insane or something?!  
I cannot tell if you’re sane or not! Especially if you don’t even remember me, The voice responded very loudly now.   
Remember you? Charlotte tried to think of who it might be but ended up with nothing. Well, at least try to help me remember!   
Fine. My name is Orinionce, and I believe you’ve lost your memory, especially if you can’t remember me. It paused for just a moment. Here, I’ll give you an image of me. Just open your eyes and get them used to your surroundings.  
Okay? She slowly opened her eyes and a wave of heat rolled over them and made them water. Carefully, she lifted her hands to her face and rubbed the tears out of her eyes. Once they were clear, she sat up and looked at herself before looking around. She was still wearing the chemise, and she was in a… volcano?! All around her was rock and lava, like a huge, burning hot wall. 

“Here, is this better?” The voice from inside her head spoke out again, but this time not in her head. She whipped her head around to look at the being behind her. It was a giant lizard like thing with huge wings and horns… this day couldn’t get any weirder. A huge dragon stood before her, wings folded and head arched. “Do you remember me now?”   
“Uhh… I don’t think I know any dragons…?” Charlotte's ears flattened against her hair. What was a dragon doing inside her head? The dragons face stiffened.   
“So it seems I was wrong.” It lowered its head. “I’m sorry for bothering you, it’s just... you’re so similar to my previous owner,” Their claws dug just barely into the ground. “I’d hoped they were still alive.” The lava dispersed into the cracks of the rock below them.  
“So… what’s going on?” Charlotte slowly stood up.  
“Nevermind, I’ll release you from here now.” The dragon's face was pained, she could tell. Before Charlotte could protest again, the ground disappeared beneath her.   
“Orinionce!” She called out as she fell, but it was no use. After a few more seconds of falling, she hit the ground. Hard. 

“Charlotte? Bane?” The shopkeeper tapped her shoulder.  
Charlotte groaned, her head in her hands. “What in Oblivion was that…?” She slowly pulled herself up and turned to Bane. “Bane? Are you okay?”  
“I guess,” Banes reddish-brown scales had been colored a slick crimson red, like blood, on his head and running now his arm. Or maybe, it was blood? “But my arm isn’t.” He groaned and put a hand on his upper-arm.  
“Oh divines, did I do that to you?!” Charlotte jumped over to him, inspecting the injury. There were two gashes, a deep one on his arm and a shallower one on the back of his head, just below where his feathers thinned.   
“No It’s fine, seriously,” He held his hand up in protest, but charlotte huffed and helped pull him up.   
“It certainly is not fine, Sir Bane.” Charlotte pulled him up, arm around his waist, helping to stabilize him. She turned to the shopkeeper “Is there a place we can go to heal him up?”  
The shopkeeper shook his head but explained that there was an herbalist in Marihner that could help. Charlotte couldn’t help but cringe, since Marihner and Imalia weren’t exactly buddy buddy.   
“So there isn’t anywhere else we can go?” Charlotte begged for more information.  
“Not that I know of, unless you know restoration magic or alchemy.” The shopkeeper could tell Charlotte was hesitant to go to Marihner. Even though Charlotte knew some about herbs and restoration magic, she certainly didn’t have enough knowhow in either skill to heal gashes. She sighed and pulled the argonian along with her- except she pulled them down with her. Bane had already passed out, and Charlotte knew she didn’t have the strength to pull him.

“Can’t you use Histskin?!” She growled, trying to drag him to the nearest cart. All she got back was a quiet groan. He wasn’t going to be waking up anytime soon. “I guess I’ll just have to try and heal him,”   
She crouched beside him and held out her hands to call upon her magicka, letting it flow through her veins to her claws. A warm, sunshine bright glow wrapped around her fingers and then around Banes head and arm. Each tongue of light licked his wounds, slowly healing him. The only issue was that Charlotte couldn’t hold it long. She hadn’t used magic in a while, and as a result she was drained easily. Her hands were already starting to shake and each small drop of magicka slipped into the spell. 

Finally, she dropped her arms, exhausted. Even though the spell wasn’t a hard one, it seriously took a lot out of her. Charlotte looked down to inspect Bane, but all she saw was a long scar on his arm and a smaller on his head. Her eyes went wide at the sight of her work, the wounds were completely closed! Even though Argonians had a natural ability to quickly regenerate to close wounds, it had to be activated and would not work if the person was asleep. Charlotte couldn’t help but smile.

“Wow, you must be a mage or something!” The shopkeeper spoke up. Typical Nords would scorn magic and talk about how it’s affiliated with the daedra and witchcraft and all that, but most nords here came for magic. Especially since Imalia was known for it’s magic users.   
“Oh, I just know a little restoration magic,” She blushed, flattered. It wasn’t that she liked him, but because she wasn’t used to being complimented. “I’ve never really had the chance to use it though.”  
“Well you looked like you had trained a lot,” The shopkeeper smiled. “I’m honestly jealous. I couldn’t even use a simple destruction spell.”

“Ah, thank you. I really must go now, though.” Charlotte was just about to try to drag Bane, when she remember three things; One, she was weak and probably couldn’t even stand, let alone carry a heavy argonian. Two, It would be weird dragging an unconscious man through the streets looking for a cart to take her. Three, even if she could do these things, she didn’t know where to go. The shopkeeper must have noticed that she didn’t know where to go, because he spoke up.

“You know, if you need a place to stay you can come with me and my wife. We have an extra bedroom, for when my wife births our child, but you can stay with us for the night! At least until your friend here can walk,” He motioned towards Bane.

“Thank you so much, sir! I’d love to meet your wife.” Charlotte smiled, letting out a brisk sigh of relief. Added with her incident the day before and the confusion with the sword, the exhaustion from healing Bane was really putting a toll on her body. And to get back to the sword, she couldn’t really remember much. Also, why was this random shopkeeper she just met helping her? She groaned, the pain of thinking about so much wasn’t doing much for her. I might as well just go with him, she thought to herself, pushing up her body to stand on her feet.

Charlotte paused for a moment.

She realized she was still only wearing the chemise...  
+...+  
A quiet knock sounded from the other side of the door as Charlotte finished drying off her body. Quickly, she padded on the yellowing tiles, running her hand across the cold bathroom counter. “Thank you…” Charlotte whispered, grabbing the clothing through the crack of the door. Seriously, these people were doing too much for her. Yeah, they only did a couple things, but they were pretty big to Charlotte, a complete stranger to them! They let her and Bane into their house, cooked for her, gave her a warm bed to sleep in and now they were giving her clothing! These people truly are generous, she thought to herself, wringing out her wet hair. 

Charlotte took her towel off and looked down at the small pile of clothing in her hands. First, she pulled out a smooth, silky shirt. She unfolded it and looked at the shimmery fabric, which almost glowed blue and gold.   
“Niiiiice....” She couldn’t help but exclaim.  
The shiny fabric formed an almost corset-like look, which would wrap around her stomach comfortably. The top part, or chest, was a soft silk material and seemed to poof out nicely. The sleeves were the same material, slowly expanding into a similar poof and then getting tied by a brown leather string, letting loose a short sleeve that would inch up to her wrist. This shirt was fit for royalty!

She then put the shirt on and searched for the next item of clothing- pants. The pants had a leathery feel to it, but the inside was soft and warm like wool. It wouldn’t be good for warm places, but for where they were it was seriously helpful. After slipping on the pants, all that was left was a pair of socks and boots. The socks were similar to the ones she was wearing before Except that they were looser and thin. The boots were tall and reached just above her knees, showing off her nicely formed legs.

Charlotte slowly opened the door from the once white bathroom, newly clothed and clean. Her hair was finally starting to dry, and her fur was still a little damp. The hallway she stood in was short and branched off into four rooms. In the back of the hallway was a door to her and Banes room (Which she had stayed in for the past couple of nights), and beside that door was the bedroom of her hosts. Next to her was the bathroom door, which she had just walked out of. In front of her was the living/kitchen area, nicely lit with a bright warm fire. She soaked in the view of the homely little living room, feeling a brisk cold breeze on her right side.  
“Hello, Miss Charlotte! Glad to see you’ve settled in well. Take a seat, we’re about to make some breakfast.” The sweet sounding voice of Mrs. Garithon, the shopkeeper’s wife, hummed from the door. She was carrying food bags in her arms, and struggling to keep them upright.

“Mrs. Garithon, you’re letting the cool air in!” Charlotte giggled, helping her carry the food in. The warm bread smelled delicious and warm in her arms, she hardly wanted to let go. After reluctantly placing the food bags down onto the oak table in the living room, she faced towards the kitchen. Her host was already pulling out pots and pans, preparing the kitchen counters for the privilege of having a delicious meal set upon them. “What are you planning on cooking, miss?”

“The most delicious scrambled eggs and chicken you have ever had!” She stood proud, her hand outstretched and pointed to the pans placed on the stove. “Yes, I know having chicken as the main course is not traditional, but they’ve had a shortage of pork recently.” Her posture was perfect, almost like a princess, with her left hand placed behind her on her lower back.

“Why do you think they’ve had such a scarce bit of pig?” It wasn’t unusual, especially since the cities were overrun with chickens, cows and goats, so the pigs didn’t have much space to occupy. Still, there should be at least a couple of pigs, shouldn't there? Well whatever, it wasn’t too important. What was important was that they needed to be fed before she and Bane had to leave to go… somewhere.

“No idea,” Mrs. Garithon grabbed eight eggs and cracked them into the pan. “I guess there’s just no pigs for now.”

“Alright, I’ll help you make breakfast. It’s the least I could do for you.” Charlotte picked up the chicken meat and helped cook breakfast; or brunch, by now. Once it was complete they sat it out on the table and went to go wake up Bane and Mr. Garithon, the shopkeeper. Charlotte opened up the back hallway door and stepped into the room she shared with Bane. She walked past an empty basket and to the soft, twin sized bed that Bane sleeped on. “Hey, Bane,” She tapped his shoulder. “Breakfast is ready.”

“Mm!” Bane growled, rolling up into the covers.   
“Bane, get up. We gotta leave soon!” She pulled his arm a little.  
“Sleeeeep!” He growled again, reluctant to leave the soft, warm bed.  
“Is this how you are every morning?” She pulled his arm harder, hardly moving him an inch.  
“I’m tired, give me another hour.” He groaned. Charlotte continued to pull his arm, but she hadn’t noticed till now that there were black bands around his elbow and wrist.  
“What are these?” She asked, tapping one of the black bands on his right arm. Bane shot up and ripped his arm away from her, holding it in his other hand.  
“They’re nothing,” He hissed to the side, rubbing his arm. “I’ll be in there in a second, just.... hold up.”   
“Okay, well I’ll see you in there.” She said quietly, not wanting to bother Bane anymore than she already had. Charlotte quickly walked out of the room and slowly shut the door, hardly making a creak. Down the hallway, the sound of laughter erupted from the living room. Now that her curiosity was peaked, she padded through the hallway and to the living room where the jubilous sound came from.

“Ah, Charlotte!” The shopkeeper beckoned her to the table. “I was wondering where you were. But where is Bane?”  
“He’ll be here in a couple minutes,” Charlotte went to sit down with her hosts, but before she did she realized someone was by the entrance to the house. They had on dark, almost black armor, and a weird mask that hid their face. “Oh, who’s this?”  
“This is the local bounty hunter, he catches criminals and takes them to the castle. You know how it goes.” Mrs. Garithon responded before her husband could.  
“Yes, I tend to grab them if I see them. Or chase them.” The bounty hunter had a deep, scratchy voice. It sounded almost Khajiit like, but it was a little too… guttural. Even though Khajiits had husky, gravelly voices, this was just too harsh sounding. “And other than the thrill, I get a nice little slice of money for it, too.” They continued with a thick, raspy laugh. It was kind of frightening to Charlotte, though.  
“That's an… interesting job,” she paused. “So what are you here for?” Once she said that, she knew the bounty hunter was smiling behind that mask.  
“Ah, he goes by the name of Bloodmouth,” He snarled. Bloodmouth…? Charlotte tensed. “Quite the vicious name for just a thief, hm? Apparently no ones caught him since his second heist!” The hunter made his hands spazz out beside him. “I want to be the one to capture him, since it’ll be such a big accomplishment.”

“Bloodmouth?” This is really bad… Charlotte thought to herself. Bloodmouth might get caught, or worse. Killed. I can’t let that happen. “I heard he really is a tough one to snatch. What’s his sentence?” She hadn’t even heard of a second heist! Why didn’t he keep her updated with this kind of thing?  
“A simple twelve year sentence, but I think it should be more for destroying a farmers property and taking his livestock!” The Hunter bellowed in his scratchy voice.  
Charlotte let out a brisk, hardly noticeable sigh. Just when she was about to speak again, a voice from the hall called out.  
“Huh, that bad? He should watch himself if an esteemed, strong bounty hunter was on his trail.” Bane stepped out of the darkness, his scales glimmering in the light from the fire. Instead of the short sleeve shirt he had worn before, he had a long, tight sleeve shirt with a vest on. The rings from before were slightly noticeable, and could be mistaken for joints.

“I can tell you’re not fond of me,” The hunter growled. “Sir Bane. You don’t have to shove it in my face every time you see me.”  
“No, I was simply complimenting you!” He replied sarcastically. This wasn’t going to go well.  
“Why are you here in a peasants house, anyways?”   
“To have a humble breakfast! Can’t I visit friends?”   
“Hmph. I never thought you were the one to exit the castle and go into public, especially since last year.” As soon as the hunter mentioned that, Bane tensed and growled.  
“Like I said, can’t I visit friends?” Bane sounded very mad, for some unknown reason.   
“No, no, just that it’s weird to see you out in daylight. It makes it more obvious, you know.” The hunter seemed to be trying to edge him on. And it was working. Bane was fuming with anger.  
“You know, I never asked why you were here?” He responded quick-like. The hunter scoffed in return, crossing his arms.   
“I was going from door to door to ask for any info someone might have on Bloodmouth.” The mask certainly does not hide his emotions, Charlotte thought to herself. I honestly don’t know why he still has it on.  
“Well you’ve sta-” Bane was cut off by the hunter as they stared at Charlotte.  
“Why is she here, though?” Let alone hiding his emotions, that mask doesn’t hide those beady eyes either… Charlotte shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to say. It seemed Bane didn’t either. “I mean, Khajiits aren’t really respected members of society, so why would one stay with a nord couple?” Charlotte calmly ignored the racist statement and explained.  
“Well he was going to help me find new clothes, but he got a little sick and this kind shopkeeper let me stay with him and his wife for a night.” Charlotte forced a small smile, clenching the chair. The hunter could tell she was uncomfortable. Why are people so observant in this town?!  
“Well,” The hunter paused. “I will most likely run across you, Bane,” He growled once he finished the ‘e’ “another time. “But for now, I have a thief to chase.”  
“Well I thank you for coming and seeing us on this fine day, Wrenth.” Bane hissed back. Goodness, why are these two so hostile to each other? The hunter quickly exited with a brash slam of the door. Bane exhaled with a brisk sigh and walked over to the table. Only then did they realize that Mr. and Mrs. Garithon were still sitting at the table, food cooling. They were a little wide-eyed.   
“Uh… thank you, for letting us stay here.” Charlotte slowly sat down, grabbing a fork. “We truly are grateful.” Bane added in agreement.  
“It’s no problem, but we need to eat before the food gets any colder!” Mrs.Garithon piped up and started to grab a bite. There would be no chatting or praying to the divines that morning.  
+...+


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> second chapter tackles banes internalized homophobia and how his community treats it as a sin. i’m not sure why i made the bands a thing though? the concept was ok but i executed it terribly. you also get introduced to James and Bane! James is pretty cool, he’s probably my favorite just under Bane
> 
> anyway the whole thing is rushed and a little confusing, but i hope to clear it up when i remake the story

The cold, crisp air was refreshing to Charlottes lungs. Even with a chimney to expel the black smoke of the living room fireplace, the house was stuffy and hot, and it certainly didn’t help that they had been staying there for so long. Next to her was Bane, breathing in the wind like her. They were both standing on an old cobble walkway surrounded by thin yellowing grass, dotted with small blue and yellow flowers that added a nice touch to the scenery. Charlotte started walking down the walkway, her hand on the old scimitar the shopkeeper let her have. As they stepped on each flattened rock, they wind got colder and more apparent. Once they’d gotten to the street, Bane was violently shivering.

“Maybe we should buy a pair of coats? Or at least one for you,” Charlotte huddled near him. His scales were nowhere near as warm as her thick fur, but she didn’t want him to be cold. He nodded once, crossing and then rubbing his frozen arms.  
“Yeah, I think I might need one,” His scales were literally icing as they walked to a shop across the road. Once they’d stepped inside, he exhaled. “To be honest, I think I might prefer the warmth of a heated building to the cold air of the outside in the morning!” They both walked over to a short brown counter where the cashier was.

Charlotte asked if the store had any coats or cloaks and they pointed to a large sign on the wall-  
“Coats ‘n’ Cloaks for sale”  
“Oh.. hah… sorry…” After awkwardly finishing that one-person conversation, she walked over to a large rack stocked with thick fur coats and thick leather cloaks. “Which should we get?”   
“A coat, since they have sleeves.” Bane grabbed a random fur coat with light brown fur and slipped into it. “Actually, this is the perfect size!” He grinned, wrapping it around himself.   
“I’ll get a cloak since they’re less expensive,” She browsed the many brown, gray and black flappy leather cloaks. There was one that caught her eye, though. The cloak was a very deep brown with an emerald gem hook, colored similar to her eyes. She pulled it from the rack.

“Y’know, that one really does something for you.” Bane smiled and shot her a compliment once Charlotte hooked it around her neck and let it lay on her shoulders. She couldn’t help but blush at that.  
“Aw, thanks!” She turned around, flaunting her new-found cloak. They walked back over to the counter and payed in gold coins, leaving with brand-new warmth for the cold weather. While they were walking, Charlotte decided to start a conversation. “So, what now?”  
Bane puffed a cloud in the air. “I guess we go find your friend?”  
“Wait, what? Who are you talking about?” Charlotte was genuinely confused.  
“Bloodmouth! He seems to be in a bit of trouble, am I right?” He responded, confused why Charlotte was confused.  
“How did you know I knew him?” Charlotte halted her walking next to a large sign, looking to Bane.  
“You got nervous when Wrenth mentioned his name. I suspected you at least knew him, especially adding that you’re part of the rebel force.” Bane shrugged.  
Charlotte growled. “How can everyone here have such keen senses?” She started walking down the road again. It was surprisingly quiet given that they were in the city near the castle. Then again, it was around five in the morning.  
“It’s pretty much required around here, mostly because everyone thinks they need to protect the royal family.”   
“This is a complete change of subject,” Charlotte started, remembering what had occurred the day before “but do you remember what happened yesterday evening? Before the shopkeeper allowed us to stay with them?” Once she’d finished, Bane thought for a moment and shrugged.  
“I don’t remember, actually. I just remember you getting a hit with your sword and me falling to the ground and hitting my head. How bout you?”  
“Well, you probably won’t believe me,” Charlotte started but hesitated to continue. Bane stared at her.  
“Shoot.” He responded holding his hand out for a moment.  
“Okay, well I saw a dragon,” She didn’t hesitate now. “And their name is Orinionce. It’s kind of a weird name but not really for a dragon,” She confusedly rambled “Anyways, they said something about thinking I was their owner and they seemed pretty upset.” Bane stared at her like she was insane.

“So you talked to a dragon,” he slowly started to talk “and you understood what it said? Do you like… speak Dova?”  
“Or it spoke our language. Because if I spoke Dova, wouldn’t I hear the words of Dova and just be able to translate it in my head? I doubt it would translate words through air,”  
“How do you mean?” Bane seemed a little confused.  
“I would hear the dragon speak Dova, not english, but i would know what he meant. Like how we hear the old world language how it is, and only understand what they meant,” Charlotte finished, looking at Banes still confused face. “Look, It’s hard to explain.”  
“Alright,” Bane shrugged and continued to a wagon equipped with a driver and two horses. “So we go to the north part of town?” he turned to Charlotte, stopping in the street.  
“I believe that’s where he should be, unless he moved.” Charlotte snorted, knowing that Bloodmouth was probably too lazy to even think of moving. 

She and Bane hopped into the wagon, and Bane told the driver where to go before he whipped the reins. Off they went, riding the cold cobble path to Bloodmouths hideout. They both looked forward, staying silent to keep the quiet and listen to the horses hooves clop on the ground. At least, until a new question popped up into Charlotte's mind.

“Oh, uhm, Bane. About earlier, when I went to wake you up. I doubt you want to talk about this, but those bands? You don’t need to answer, but-” Bane cut her off with a low growl.  
“Good, then I won't.” He immediately rose defense, his hands clasped together and his jaw clenched. It was obvious he didn’t want to talk, but Charlotte, ignoring the fact she said he didn’t have to answer, continued to pressure him.  
“I was just thinking, maybe it could help to talk about it? Especially since you seem so reluctant to-” Bane interrupted again.  
“It’s best not to talk, Charlotte.” He held his arms now, staring down at the emptiness beside him.  
“Bane. This is obviously troubling you, so just tell me. I can help.” She lowered her ears, her earrings tapping against each other and making a dinging sound. Bane grumbled and rubbed his arms through his fluffy coat.  
“So you’ve never heard of black bands before?” He seemed a little scared when he lowered his voice. Charlotte shook her head. This seemed to have made it a little easier for him to explain somehow. “They mean that I’m a mistake. No matter how hard I try to ignore it, my “disease” is still a sin, or whatever.” He couldn’t seem to find the right words.  
“D-Disease…?” Charlotte was concerned. What kind of disease could be a sin against the divines?  
“I don’t prefer to sleep with females,” He stated very awkwardly and huffed “which means I am a sinner.” Bane shied away, pushing his nose to the fluffy rim of his coat. He was obviously very uncomfortable.  
“That’s a ‘disease’ in this country?” Charlotte was disgusted. Bane gripped his arms tighter. She jumped to Banes side, holding his shoulder. The coats rough fuzz was warm against her hand. “That isn’t a disease, Bane. It’s just who you are. But why do you have these bands about your arms?” This caused Charlotte to think. Before Bane could even open his mouth, she remembered. Bloodmouth’s brother also wore those, but he used to say they were a fashion choice. He would avoid questions about them, she thought, especially when he worked the bar at the Inn Bloodmouth ran.  
“They-” Bane started, but Charlotte interrupted him before he could answer.  
“They’re like warnings- bindings of some sort, right?” She almost hissed, her blood boiling. No one has the right to discriminate living beings like that. No one has the right to tie them up and discriminate against them. Bane was tense, wrapping his arms around his body tight to keep from freaking out. “Hey, it’s okay! What’s wrong?” She rested her hand on his arm.  
“I-I… I don’t know…” He was curled up now. “I’ve never been comforted about it before.” Charlotte then realised how pained he was.   
“You don’t have to be ashamed. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.” She rubbed his arm lightly.  
The rattling of the wagon and the clopping of the hooves on the stone was calming. She could feel Banes breathing, and the quiet coughs of the driver. It was soothing. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep of Banes shoulder.  
+...+

The wagons abrupt stop shook Charlotte awake. Next to her was Bane, who was also startled by the shaky stop.  
“We’re here!” The driver yelled to the back.   
“Wha-oh yeah, uh, thanks!” Charlotte waved and pulled the sluggish Bane with her off the wagon. Bane opened his mouth wide, letting loose a huge yawn and showing off his sharp teeth.  
“So wait, where does your friend live?” Bane stumbled a little before standing up straight.  
“Just near the Inn,” Charlotte pointed to a large building, patrolled by the previous kick-outs after they’d drank too much at the bar. Or had annoyed James so much that he kicked them out. Oh, right, James! I need to talk to him, she thought and grabbed Banes arm, sprinting to the Inn.  
“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Bane growled, struggling to keep up with her.  
“I want you to meet everyone!” Charlotte reached the door and swung it open, scanning the bar to make sure it wasn’t ruined before she walked over to the bar. She looked to see a surprised James facing her. James had fluffy, chubby cheeks and small round ears, which made his expressions look absolutely adorable, no matter if he was mad or happy.   
“Oh, well hello, Charlotte! What brings you back so early?” He smiled, seemingly filled with glee at the sight of her. Charlotte couldn’t help but hug his cute little face when he smiled. She pulled away to explain herself.  
“I got attacked trying to transport them, and now i can’t find them.” She quickly whispered to him. Charlotte noticed James’ eyes widened twice the size they were before. “Where is Bloodmouth?”  
“He should be downs-” James was cut off by Charlotte.  
“Okay, thanks Jamesy! I’ll chat with you later!” Charlotte patted James’ head (which he apparently liked judging by his flustered smile) and then dragged Bane with her down the stairs.  
“So, was that a friend?” Bane spoke up once they were halfway down the twisting, turning stairway.  
“That was James, Bloodmouths brother. He quite the cute fluffball, don’t you think?,” Charlotte responded pretty quickly, and then added to that statement- “I think you two could make good friends!” She kept running for a couple steps and reached the end, stepping down to the floor where the steps ended.  
“Okay?” Bane just shrugged and stepped down onto the floor with Charlotte. He looked around, staring at the many blades and gold coins scattered around the small room. To the right there were two doors, one saying ‘Bathroom’ on a sign above the door and the other with no sign.  
“Blood!” Charlotte yelled to the door with no sign and rapped at it with her knuckles.  
“Charlotte?” A young, Khajiit sounding voice came from behind the door.  
“Yes! Hey, can I come in?” She responded back quickly. “It’s important!”  
“U-uh, hold on!” Bloodmouth made some racket in the room (at one point it sounded as if he had fallen) before rushing to the door. “Wait-” he said as he put his body in the way of the entrance. “Who is this?” Bloodmouth nodded to Bane.  
“Ah! This is Bane, he helped me get back.” Charlotte patted Banes shoulder as if to say ‘He’s good’.  
“You sure we can trust him?” Bloodmouth growled under his breath.  
“Yes! Now let us in, scaredy cat!” She grabbed Banes arm and dragged him past Bloodmouth. Bloodmouth quietly growled at Bane and shot him a death glare.  
“So why are you back so soon, Char?” Bloodmouth crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby wood dresser. Charlotte groaned and fell onto the bed, Bloodmouths bed, behind her. His room was so bland and small, but so comfortable. She glanced around the room for just a moment to look at the plain brown furniture before she sat up to look down at the floor.

“You’re not going to like it,” she warned him.  
“Just tell me, I promise I won’t be mad.” Bloodmouth shifted slightly.  
“I got attacked when i was trying to transport the mead,” Charlotte could tell tell Bloodmouth was already pissed. She had to admit, though, he really was trying not to burst out in anger. He was pretty protective of Charlotte. “But it’s okay! Bane helped me out, got me out of a dangerous situation and then traveled with me here. Actually, we kind of came here to warn you.”  
“Warn me of what…?” Bloodmouth tensed and tilted his head slightly.  
“A bounty hunter by the name of Wrenth is coming to capture you and take you to jail.” She replied quickly.  
“Bounty hunter? Take me to jail? Char, jail isn’t that bad. I can escape, continue my job, get caught again, repeat, and not get hurt! You’ve seen me do it!”  
“This time it’s different, Bloodmouth. If you’re not compliant you could die!” Charlotte shifted awkwardly. “Listen, this has happened enough. I think you should stop-”  
“What, stop doing what I’ve been doing since I was a toddler? You know that i’ve been a thief my whole life. I can’t stop Char!” Bloodmouth hissed, leaving marks in the wood of the dresser. 

“That’s enough.” Spoke up a tiny voice from the doorway. James was holding onto the door knob, shaky and angry. “You need to get a hold of yourself, Bloodmouth. Now.”  
“James-” Bloodmouth tried to respond, but James had already swung the door closed behind him. Charlotte knew he never supported his brother being a thief, but she never thought he’d confront him. Well, it really wasn’t a confrontation, but that was pretty close for James considering how shy and quiet he is. “Damnit,” Bloodmouth slammed his hand against the wood of the dresser, pushing off to go run after James, but Charlotte stopped him before he could run off.  
“I’ll go talk to him, Canin.” She softly held his arm for a moment before walking out the door to go after James. Just before she left, she called after Bane to come.  
+...+  
“James!” Charlotte whisper-yelled from the stairs to the bar counter. “James! I need to talk to you!” She speed-walked over to the counter and jumped over it, looking for her friend. “Where are you?”   
“You’re sure he’s over here?” Bane jumped over the counter behind her.   
“This is where he normally is when he gets upset.” She shrugged, sneaking behind the beer barrels to creep up to a shorter-than-normal door. Bane looked at her, confused. Charlotte reached her hand to the door and knocked lightly. “Hey, are you in here Jamsey?” She asked in a whisper.  
“Is-is Bloodmouth with you?” James’ small voice came from the closet.   
“No, just me and the Argonian from before. I just want to talk, bud.”  
“Okay…” James reached for the door knob. He let them both in and stood, looking at his feet. He was wearing his normal outfit- a clean, unstained, short-sleeved tavern outfit with a puffed out chest. The tail reached just to the inside of his knees and his pants were a bland pair of knee-long capris. The black bands (like Banes) wrapped just above his elbows and wrists, adding another on his neck. On his feet were short, flimsy brown boots, tied together by thick black strings.  
His thick, black and tightly-braided hair was smoothed back against his head, just reaching the nape of his neck. He also had a very distinctive face- chubby cheeks and a kind smile. The only thing is that he wasn’t smiling.

“So, someone’s coming to get Canin again?” He huffed and dropped to the floor, landing right on a pile of soft blankets and pillows. He’d made this his personal hiding spot, loads of soft, fluffy bedding items for him to hide under and sleep on. Sure, he had his own room and bed, but he like this better because he had made it himself.  
“Yes, but it’s not as bad as you think. I just feel like he should be more careful.” Charlotte fell down onto the pile of comforters parallel to James.   
“I think he should quit.” James grabbed a pillow and looked down at it, clenching his hands.  
“Actually, I might agree with you this time. It’s getting to dangerous even if it’s only jail. The more he gets caught and then breaks free, the harder the sentence.” Bloodmouth had gained five extra years from his last sentence, and it would only get higher. 

“So your friend is a thief? Is he part of…?” Bane finally spoke up, lowering down to sit next to charlotte.   
“Yeah, he’s a member of the thieves guild. But neither of us likes it, believe me.” Charlotte scooched to the side so Bane had more space.  
“I mean, the sentence isn’t terrible. Especially if he can easily escape.”  
“The issue is that it raises every time, and eventually it might reach the point of a guillotine, if you know what I mean.”  
“That’s not funny, Charlotte.” James growled.  
“...I know.” Her hands, like James’, were gripping tightly to a pillow. She lifted the pillow to her chest and squeezed it, feeling her eyes get hot and watery. Bane shifted awkwardly and James hid his face under the blanket.  
“I mean…” James sighed. “We can’t really convince him to stop, can we?” He said shakily.  
“It’s okay, Jamesy,” Charlotte put the pillow aside after breathing in and smoothing back her hair. She couldn’t cry infront of James! That would just make him more upset, and she really didn’t want that to happen. “I can talk to him later, if you think that’ll help?”

James stayed under the blanket, bundled into a little ball. Charlotte knew he wouldn’t come out from under there or speak again any time soon, so she stood up and hugged him for a moment before turning to Bane.  
“Let’s tend the bar while he calms down.” She coughed, walking to the door. Bane stood, following through the door with Charlotte to the bar. This would be another long day.  
+...+


	3. Familiar Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this part isn’t really relevant and it doesn’t match up with the story, but here’s a little bit of what i wrote last year before i stopped writing

The bar was just about to close, so Bane went ahead and ran off some of the leftover drunkards. Some were asleep, others were singing random songs to each other and falling everywhere. These were just the regulars and the lightweights trying to show that they can handle a swig, though. It was taking a while to get everyone out, but finally they were all stumbling around the streets to their houses or dragging themselves to their inn rooms. Charlotte was leaning against the counter, holding an almost empty jug of Sujamma.   
“Hey James?” She called to the back room. A small mumble came from behind its door..  
“Yeah? He answered quietly.  
“We’re out of Sujamma.”   
“Ughhhh” James groaned. “Really? Again?” He paused for a bit before speaking up again. “Hold up, Im coming.”  
The Bar was dead quiet for a moment, other than the shifting of James in the backroom while he came out. Bane was a little confused, though.   
“What’s Sujamma?” He asked Charlotte.  
“Oh, have you never heard of it? It’s a kind of alcohol that gets delivered here from Solstheim.” Charlotte said, putting back the glasses one by one.  
“Uh… what’s Solstheim?”  
“You’ve never heard of Solstheim? The ash island?” Charlotte was genuinely surprised.   
“Is that bad?” He shifted, leaning against a booth seat wall.  
“Solstheim has the biggest ebony mine in the world! How have you never heard of it? And the Red Mountain? How it exploded?” Charlotte did hand motions up and out in the air, like an explosion.  
Bane shook his head, still confused.  
“Well the only thing that’s important right now is that we get someone to deliver more, because the customers are very demanding when it comes to their alcohol.” James clicked shut the back door and walked over to the counter where Charlotte was.  
“So should me and Bane go to Windhelm and get a request?”  
“If you can, that’d be great. Just don’t lose it like the Black Briar mead!” James pointed to her sternly.  
“That was the bandits, not me!” Charlotte huffed and crossed her arms.  
“Let’s just hurry on,” Bane stood straight, grabbing for his sword to make sure it was there.  
“Alright, let me grab my stuff and we’ll be off! Oh and James,” Charlotte paused at the side of the counter to turn back to James. “Where is my horse?”

+...+

The seas gentle waves were slowly getting rougher and more unpredictable, which worried Charlotte. The ships going to and from solstheim might not be able to travel through stormy seas, and that meant shipwrecks and loot-raids whenever they wash up on shore. She needed to find someone willing to go before the storm hit later that night, they had lost many customers for slacking off on getting Sujamma one year.   
“Should we wait or go on ahead and get a ship out?” She turned to Bane, one foot pointed away.  
“I don’t know, but considering there's a storm coming soon…” Bane sat in thought for a moment, leaning up against the docks supporting pillars. They weren't exactly sure when the storm was going to start, let alone end, so they had to figure out the best situation. If they stayed there and the storm kept going, they might get stuck at the docks. If they went ahead and got a boat to go out, it might not ever get back through the storm without washing up on the beach. There were pluses too, though. “Let’s just stay and wait. Maybe the storm coming will wash over quickly, and even if it doesn’t i'm sure we could get through a measly thunderstorm.”  
“Alright, well let’s go find a nearby inn or a willing host. I don’t really want to sleep on the docks,”   
“How about we ask a local about and inn before going ahead and looking, having the possibility of getting lost?” His eyes followed the pillars to the steps as he spoke.  
“That’s a much better idea.” Charlotte jumped past him and ran to the steps, taking them on foot by foot. Bane groaned and slugged behind her.

+...+

The wind was getting stronger and the skies were getting darker. After about an hour of stopping and talking to locals, one had finally told them of one they saw down the road. From what they had explained, it was named the Jarls Flask and was around another hours worth of walking. It was a bar and an inn, similar to Bloodmouth’s.   
“I told you we should’ve gone ahead and looked!” Charlotte dragged herself down the long, cobbled road. The trees were vigorously shaking, and their leaves were raging in the air. A few small twigs had gotten stuck in Charlotte’s thick, dreaded hair and had gotten stuck. She was fiddling with it, grunting as she pulled out each one.  
“Well now we know where we’re going, so let’s hurry on!” Bane huffed right back at her, arms crossed and hugging the soft fur coat to his chest. This was the billionth time Charlotte had pouted that day, and he was getting tired of it.  
“Oh, whatever!” She growled, throwing her hair back behind her. It hit her ears, making her earrings ding together.   
“Listen, if we don’t get there soon we’re going to get soaked!” Bane threw his hands up. “So stop pouting so much! It’s only going to slow down progress.”   
“Fiiiiiiiinee…” She groaned and started to grumble, continuing to drag herself. “But I’m not even pouting…”   
After a minute or two of more walking, a single droplet fell onto Banes nose. “See? Already starting to rain,”  
“You’re overreacting.” Charlotte scoffed. A few more droplets fell from the sky, until all of the sudden they started falling faster and harder. “Never mind.”


End file.
